


A Simple Question

by DraSuuh



Series: Road to McSpirk [3]
Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Angst, Becoming McSpirk, Established Spirk - Freeform, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, I'll probably add more tags later, M/M, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27806731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraSuuh/pseuds/DraSuuh
Summary: “I do not understand the problem. It is a simple question.”“A simple question?” Jim stopped his pacing. “A simple question? ‘Do you want to join our relationship’ is a simple question?” His eyes looked almost wild.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock
Series: Road to McSpirk [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878220
Comments: 25
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

“So how’s married life, Jim?” Kirk nearly spat out his Saurian brandy.

“We’re not married, Bones! We’re not even bonded!” His friend laughed.

“Might as well be. I’ll be damned if I understand it, but I’ve never seen two people fit so well together.” McCoy stared into the dark amber liquid he swirled around in his glass, the twinkle going out of his eye. “Can’t help but…” he shook his head. Kirk stared at him, vision swimming a bit — how many of these had they had? Something was off in the other man’s voice, he wasn’t too drunk to pick up on that.

“What is it, Bones?”

“It’s silly, but… I can’t help but feel jealous sometimes.” Kirk raised his brows and sat up a little straighter. “Not-not of you two specifically, mind,” he hurried to add. “Just, well…” he trailed off for a few moments before finishing the thought he had left in the air between them. “I’m lonely.” He immediately groaned and covered his face with his hands. “God, I can’t believe I just said that.”

“It’s okay, Bones,” Kirk said softly. “I do remember…”

“Natira, yeah. I’d rather not remember that. Stupid.” The last word was under his breath, almost inaudible. Kirk was about to protest, but thought better of it. To say it hadn’t been stupid would have been untruthful.

“I mean, aside from _that_ , do you know how long it’s been since I had a proper relationship? Hell, _any_ kind of relationship?”

“How long?” Jim immediately got the sense he wasn’t supposed to actually ask the answer to the question.

“I don’t want to think about it long enough to count the years.”

“Well we’ve been in space nearly three years. It’s not a situation very conducive to serious relationships.”

“Before the mission.”

“Ah. Well,” he began, but was interrupted by McCoy.

“Don’t, Jim. Don’t give me one of your pick-me-up speeches. I don’t think I could stand that right now. I’m not some young ensign in need of a father figure’s wisdom and I’m embarrassed enough already. Let’s just leave it.”

“Alright, Bones.”

Even with the subject put behind them, the atmosphere had changed and it wasn’t long until they bid each other good night and Kirk made his way back to his quarters and Spock.

As the door to his own room closed behind him and the Vulcan looked up to greet him, he immediately opened his mouth and said one thing:

“We have to tell him.”

Two hours later…

How was he gonna do this?

How the hell was he going to do this?

Kirk paced up and down the length of his quarters, observed by Spock, whose attention was divided between his partner and the latest report from the science department.

“I do not understand the problem. It is a simple question.”

“A simple question?” Jim stopped his pacing. “A simple question? ‘Do you want to join our relationship’ is a simple question?” His eyes looked almost wild.

“The wording is not particularly complicated.” Damn it, that wasn’t the problem and Spock very well knew it. Jim put his hands on his hips.

“Would you like to do it, then?” Prolonged silence. “Hah! See?”

“We agreed that it would be better received coming from you.”

“Even if that weren’t true, you still wouldn’t want to do it.” Spock couldn’t deny the allegation, so he returned to his reading, face impassive as ever. Jim returned to his pacing.

Soon he began to speak, words addressed to the surrounding air rather than his partner in the room.

“Where should I do it? And how? Should I bring it up casually, or schedule some sort of… meeting with him?” Spock looked up.

“Am I meant to answer these questions?”

“No, no, I’m just… thinking out loud.” The pad made a clinking sound as it was placed on the glass table.

“Come sit.” Kirk paused before sighing and acquiescing.

“Did you behave like this before you made your confession to me?” Spock inquired. Jim laughed.

“Oh, that was much worse.”

“In which case, I believe you will prove adept enough at handling this situation as well.”

“I wish I had your confidence in me.” Jim had abundant confidence in many situations, including past romantic ones. Something about these two men knocked him off balance. He supposed that was evidence of how much they meant to him — how high the stakes were. There was a lot to lose, both personally and professionally. Both their friendship and working relationship were at risk. He sighed. “I think I need to sleep on this.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, guys. This chapter was the hardest to write for me.

“Dinner with me and Spock tonight?”

“Sure,” McCoy answered absentmindedly as he looked over a patient’s chart.

“Good. Eight?”

“Sounds good.” Kirk nodded, satisfied, and returned to his cabin for what was left of his lunch break.

As he chewed his chicken sandwich, he couldn’t help but go over the conversation, such as it was. A brief, normal interaction between two friends. But ever since that drunken night and his and Spock’s decision to officially invite him into their relationship, he’d been second-guessing every exchange he had with McCoy, even the most banal. Every word he said felt like there was a confession behind it.

He shook his head. He needed to stop overthinking things. He had yet to come up with a plan, so until then he just needed to act normal around the man.

He wasn’t planning for anything other than a nice dinner, maybe a drink or two, and pleasant conversation with his two favorite people that night.

It should be fun, he thought.

—

Human laughter reverberated around the room, while the raise of one Vulcan eyebrow was nearly as loud.

“I’m glad to see you laughing after the last time we had a late night,” Kirk said between giggles. Immediately McCoy’s laughter ceased and he gave his friend a hard look, as well as leveling a half-second glance toward Spock. (Had Jim told him?) “Oh, sorry, Bones…”

“I figured there woulda been an unspoken agreement about talkin’ about that.”

“Right. I’m sorry.” Damn, and they had been having such a good time. What had he been thinking? Well, he supposed there was nothing else for it now.

“You know… you don’t have to be alone, Bones.” Spock tried to meet his partner’s gaze to give him a look of warning (this wasn’t the plan — as far as they even had a plan — Jim was meant to tell McCoy alone, without Spock there), but he avoided it, focusing all his attention on McCoy, who rolled his eyes.

“Jim, if you’re about to try to set me up with some crew member, forget about it right now.”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Kirk laughed. “I meant… you could be with us.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see Spock with a look he recognized as alarm in his eyes but he ignored it.

“What do you mean?” He could tell from McCoy’s voice that the man was genuinely confused as to what he meant, which made him smile despite his anxiety.

“I mean be _with us_. He gestured towards himself and then Spock. “Be a part of our relationship.” The man still looked confused, so he added, “romantically.” That elicited a frown.

“That’s not funny, Jim.” Kirk blinked.

“It’s not supposed to be.”

“I’m serious, Jim. Don’t joke about that.”

“I’m not!”

“He is indeed not joking,” interjected Spock, who had resigned himself to the reality that this situation was taking place.

“Oh not you, too! Cut it out!”

“Vulcans do not joke, doctor.”

“Bullshit.” With that last word, directed as much towards Kirk as Spock, McCoy strode swiftly out of the room.

—

“Bones! Bones, let me in!” He was making a scene, or he would be if there was anyone in the corridor to see. Jim pounded his fist on the door chime again. “For God’s sake, before someone comes!” Still no reply. “I’m not leaving, and someone will come eventually.”

The door slid open and he practically leapt over the threshold.

“I guess you’re here to apologize — fine. Apology accepted, I’m still mad, can you leave now?” McCoy stood in front of Jim, arms crossed, an immovable object. The expression on his face didn’t bode will, but Jim had to try. He could be pretty immovable himself.

“No, I can’t, and I didn’t come here to apologize because I’m not sorry-“ McCoy’s eyebrows raised and mouth opened, but Jim talked over him “-because I wasn’t joking.”

“Bullshit.” Jim set his jaw and took a few steps forward, until he was within a foot of his friend. When the other man didn’t move, he reached out and grasped his shoulders.

“Look at me, Bones.” He complied, blue eyes flashing with anger fixed on determined hazel ones. “You know me. Would I lie to you like this? _About_ this? Especially if it hurt you?” McCoy shifted his weight from one foot to the other and his eyes darted to the side nervously. Jim could see his brain working, and see in his face the moment the reality hit him. He took a step back, out of Jim’s grip, and put a hand to his head.

“…Shit.” Thankfully there were only a few spaces between him and a chair, which he grasped at with his free hand and sunk into. “Shit,” he repeated, and looked up. “What the hell, Jim?” Jim couldn’t help but smile.

“What the hell do you mean, ‘what the hell?’” He gently perched himself on the arm of the chair and began to reach out for his friend(?)’s shoulder before thinking better of it and resting it on his lap. “Come on, Bones. Is it that surprising?”

“Yes! It is! I can almost believe you’ve deluded yourself into thinking this, you’re a romantic, but Spock?”

“And is _that_ really that surprising? You could cut the sexual tension between the two of you with a knife.” McCoy sputtered but couldn’t seem to find actual words to form. Jim decided to take the risk and reached out to his friend’s shoulder again and squeezed. McCoy straightened up from where he had been resting his elbow on his knee and looked up with a small smile.

“I made a damn fool of myself freaking out like that, didn’t I?” He just got a smile in answer. “Jim, I…”

“You can say no, you know, that’s fine.” McCoy looked away again, eyebrows drawn together in thought. After a few solid minutes of silence, Jim shook him slightly. “Bones?”

“I… I need some time to think about this.”

“Okay. That’s fair.” Jim rose from his perch and walked to the door. He stopped and turned. “That’s not a no, though?” His face was hopeful, a smile playing across his features. McCoy sighed heavily, though he couldn’t hide his own slight smile.

“Go on, git outta here.”

—

Jim stood outside in the corridor for a moment, grinning, before going to tell Spock what had happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, my brain's been a bit all over the place lately but I finally wrangled it into submission and got this chapter together!

Time. He needed time to think about it, he’d said. What the hell was there even to think about? The idea was ridiculous, damn it. There was simply no way. No way that…

But maybe…

His head was swimming, ricocheting between the thought that a relationship between himself, Jim, and Spock could never work, that the two of them couldn’t possibly _truly_ even want that, and the thought that, well.

Maybe.

McCoy wasn’t done thinking yet when he went to bad that night. In fact, he wouldn’t be done thinking for a while.

—

The report was long. And boring. Kirk was desperate for a distraction. Just as he was trying to come up with a reason to visit the bridge during his off shift, a distraction came in the form of the door chime.

“Enter,” he said, looking up from the screen and trying to blink away the points of light in his vision. Dr. McCoy stepped through the doorway, looking at the floor.

“Bones!” He was surprised — McCoy had been, somewhat understandably, avoiding him as much as possible beyond work duties ever since he’d said he’d “think about” the offer to enter his and Spock’s relationship. It had been nearly a week and he’d said nothing about it. McCoy stood there for an uncomfortable half minute, hands clasped behind his back, staring at the floor while Kirk stared at him. Finally he looked up, and uttered a single word:

“Yes.”

“…Yes…?” Jim sat up straighter in his chair — he had an idea of what that affirmation might mean, but he didn’t want to jump the gun. McCoy sighed dramatically and released one of his hands to gesture at Jim, finally looking up from the floor.

“Yes to — you know! the whole… relationship thing.” He ended the sentence with a mutter. Jim took a few moments to let the words sink in, then practically leapt over his desk to get at his friend ( _boyfriend!_ ). He grinned and wrapped his arms around the other man’s middle, lifting him up and spinning him around, laughing. The laughter was infectious, and McCoy joined in, arms wrapping loosely around his neck. Jim set him down, considered him for a brief moment, then moved his arms up to take the other man’s face in his hands and give him a kiss that would best be described with the word “smooch.” The doctor’s eyebrows raised and he colored, but smiled when Jim pulled away. The smile was returned, then quickly replaced with Jim’s mouth over his again, suddenly all passion and desperation. McCoy’s back hit the wall and he took a deep breath in through his nose, heart hammering, barely keeping his head together to return the kiss.

Jim moved his mouth to McCoy’s neck and his hands to his hips. One hand found the hem of his shirt and slipped under, pulling the doctor’s undershirt out from where it was tucked into his pants. He quickly slid his hand up McCoy’s bare back, pulling the shirt further up and eliciting a gasp.

“Jim…” The man addressed hummed against McCoy’s neck, pressing even closer and hooking his thumb under his waistband and rubbing along his prominent hipbone. Suddenly Jim felt a hand against his chest.

“Jim, hold up a minute.” He drew back, breathing heavily, and looked into wide blue eyes. “Could we, uh… maybe talk about this before you go ripping my clothes off?”

“Oh… oh!” Jim immediately took his hands away, holding them up in apology. “Shit, I’m sorry, Bones, I shouldn’t have— I just—”

“It’s alright,” said McCoy, taking one of Jim’s hands in his and smiling a crooked smile. “Your eagerness is, uh, rather flatterin’…” He was blushing. Jim laughed and smiled, leading the other man to the couch.

“Alright,” he said as he sat and pulled McCoy down with him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s talk.” He looked expectant.

“I… Jim, are you… are you really sure about this?”

“Of course I’m sure.” Jim almost sounded offended. “If you’re worried about the professional consequences, Spock and I have been dealing with that risk for some time, and I assume you’ve considered it yourself if you’re here.”

“Yeah, of course, just…” A deep breath and a twist of the mouth. “You’re sure you want _me_?”

“What the hell kind of question is that? Would I have asked if we didn’t?”

“You two could do better than me.”

“Bones… for one thing, there isn’t anyone better than you.” McCoy opened his mouth to object and Kirk put his finger over it. “For another, this isn’t about just wanting a third or something. This is entirely about it being you. We’d never do this with anyone else.” This brought both the blush and smile back, though the second was somewhat wry.

“I guess you two are just really into bitter old men, huh?”

“You’re not old, Bones.”  
“Just bitter?” Jim smiled.

“Maybe a little.” They laughed, but soon enough McCoy’s smile fell again.

“Jim I’m…” he looked at the carpet. “I’m not very good at relationships.” Kirk began rubbing his back.

“I don’t think this relationship will be very typical. You’ll be fine, Bones.” McCoy sighed and leaned against Jim, who again wrapped his arms around thin shoulders.

“I hope you’re right, ‘cause I really don’t wanna screw this up.”

“You won’t,” Jim assured him, and kissed his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, we've got two thirds of the trio set...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally doing it, guys. I promise this fic will end with happy McSpirk.


End file.
